Machine for making hollow metal balls



May 7, 1929. A. M. RUTTER MACHINE FOR MAKING HOLLOW METAL BALLS 4 Sheets-Sheet WW M @JIID ww l INVENTOR amp/W,

J3- ATTORNEYS May 7, 1929.

A. M. RUTTER MACHINE FOR MAKING HOLLGW METAL BALLS Ogiginal Filed Nov. 26, 19 24 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR AL ATTORNEYS May 7, 1929. RUTTER 1,712,446

MACHINE FOR MAKING HOLLOW METAL BALLS Original Filed Nov. 26, 1924 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 B v I Wflnflzt; 65 INVENTOR 144 ATTORNEY s May 7, 1929. RUTTER 1,712,446

MACHINE FOR MAKING HOLLOW METAL BALLS Original Filed Nov. 26, 1924 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 WW M INVENTOR Patented May 7,1929.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ALBERT M. BUTTER, 0F BALTIMORE, MARYLAND, ASSIGNOR 'IO HOLLOW BALL COM- PANY, INCORPORATED, OF BALTIMORE, MARYLAND, A. CORPORATION OF MARY- LAND.

MACHINE FOR MAKING HOLLOW METAL BALLS.

Application filed November 26, 1924, Serial No. 752,320. Renewed September 28, 1928.

This invention relates to the manufacture -in U. S. Patents Nos. 1,278,914 and 1,278,915 and pending application Serial No.

505,003, there is disclosed a method of male inc hollow metal balls which comprises in general forming an approximately spherical shell from a flat metal blank, or from a tube, by a series of forming operations, and then rolling and spinning the shell thus formed under pressure in relatively movable, cooperati n circular grooves in the faces of opposed discs or plates to close the hole or holes in the shell and improve its sphericity. The machines illustrated and described in those patents and that application comprise a pair of horizontal plates, each having a single closing groove designed to cooperate with the single groove in the face ofthe other plate, and mounted for relative movement both rotational and axial. the lower plate being rotatable hut fixed axially, and the upper being movable axially but keyed against rotation. The machine illustrated inthe patouts differs from the one shown in the application primarily in the meridional section of the grooves, the latter being so shaped as to permit of a two-point contact- With the shell. below the mouth of the groove, this term of groove materially increasing the efficiency of the closing.

In operating machine of this type the pl ates are separated and the balls to be closed placed by hand Within the groove in the bottom plate. The upper plate is then lowered into contact with the balls and. the lower plate rotated. The closing is effected by slowly lowering the upper plate thereby increasing the pressure on the balls. In order to permit the balls to rearrange themselves within the grooves from time to time and thus insure a perfect distribution of the pressure and the production of a well-balanced ball. the pressure between the plates is periodically released and reapplied. A gauge is employed to indicate when the balls have reached a predetermined size, and when this point reached the operator stops the machine, separates thecliscs and examines the balls; If they are satisfactory the lower groove is emptied and refilled; ifnot, the plates are brought together again and the guide block therein through which the balls I are fed to the grooves, and through which they are discharged, all while the machine is in operation. I also provide a common feed hopper or magazine for the balls, from which they are fed to the grooves and to which they are returned, thus forcing them to make the circuit time and again until their openings have been closed and their diameters reduced to the desired size. As the halls emerge from the plates and into the hopper they maybe removed and examined without interfering in any way with the continuous operation of the i'nachinc. This passing through the hop per alsoresults in a rearrangement of the balls so that their positions relative to the grooves vary continually and there is no necessity for a partial separation of the plates to attain this end. The charging of such a machine is simply a matter of placing the ballsin the feed hopper with the plates in position and startingthe rotation. The discharge may be made equally simple. By malting the artis of the plates horizontal so that the rotation is in a vertical plane and placing a discharge hopper below them, the machine may be instantly emptied at any time by a more separation of the plates. i

As a further improvement over the prior machines I also provide the rolling and closing plates for the smaller balls with a plurality of concontricclosing grooves instead of the single pair shown in the machines of the patents and pending application, thus greatly increasing}; the capacity of the machine. lVhen such plates are used I employ a guide block which not only guides the balls to andfrom the grooves but which passes them from groove to groove in succession.

Thus, all of the balls are passed around all of the grooves and are given identical treatment. W V

In order that the invention may be more clearly understood I have illustrated a preferred embodimentof it in the accompanying drawings in which Figure 1 is a vertical longitudinal section through a ball rolling'and sizing machine constructed in accordance stantly directing the balls into the feed conduit and also the means for operating these directing 'means,Figure 4 is an end elevation of the-machine, with the operating handwheel removed, looking in the same direction as Figure 3, Figure 5 is an elevation of the face of the non-rotatable plate showing the guide block in position, Figure 6 is a side elevation of'the plates, taken partly in section along line 66 of Figure 5, and showing the passageways in the guide block through which the balls are fed to and from the grooves, and from one pair of cooperating pending application No. 505,083.

grooves to the pair next adjacent, Figure 7 -is.a sectional detail similar to Figure 6 but taken along line 77 of Figure 5, and Figure 8'is a detail showing the approximate meridional shape of the grooves and the position taken by a ball during the rolling operation. In describing the machine illustrated in these drawings I shall first describe the rolling plates themselves and the manner in which they are mounted and moved. I shall then describe the feed mechanism, explaining how the balls are ifed to and from the grooves and circulated therethrougli. I shall then review briefly the entire operation of the machine.

' The illustrated machine is equipped with two rolling, closing and sizing plates, 1 and 2, each provided with four concentric ball-receiving grooves 3, each groove designed to cooperate with the corresponding groove on the other plate to. form a single passageway or pair of grooves. These grooves are machined with outwardly'diverging side walls designed to contact Withthe balls at two points below the mouth of the groove; They are in fact of substantially the same meridional section as those grooves illustrated and described in These plates 1 and 2 are annular in form and are mounted within and supported by head eastings I and 5 respectivelv.

Plate 1 is the rotatable plate. 'llms head casting 4 is mounted for rotation about a hollow journal. 6 supported within the, frame 7 of the machine and provided with suitable roller bearings 8 and thrust bearings J. A plate 11 is mounted on the inner end of the. journal to prevent outward axial movement of the head casting i. Rotation is elieeted through a gear 12 ailixed to the head casting, meshing with a pinion '13 on e sha ft ll, which is thrown into and out of driving relation with a constantly rotating pulley 15 by means of a clutch 1(3 operated by a clutch lever 17. The rate of rotation of the pulley 15 and the gear ratio of the pinion 13 and gear 12 are such that the plate 1, which in (his case is about eighteen inches in diameter, rotates at about 150 R. P. M.

The head 5, which supports the non-rotatable plate 2, is carried by a ram 13 mounted for longitudinal sliding movement within a bearing 19 in the frame of the maehine, and held against rotation by means of a key -ll. Axial movement of this ram 18 and the plate 2 is eifected through rotation of a shaft 22 making threaded engagement with the ram and having aflixed to its outer end a gear 2-; meshing with a pinion on shaft 525 of a hand-wheel 26. The shafts iii and 25 are journaled within castings 2T bolted to the right hand end of the machine frame. The outer face of the gear 23 is provided with a scale 20, which cooperates with :1 pointer 28 secured to the lower face of the outer casting 27, to indicate the axial position of the plate 2 relative to the platel.

It is important that the grooves in the two plates correspond exactly throughout all stages of the closing and sizing opera! ion, and therefore the two plates must always be eoaXial. In order to insure this relationship I have provided a pilot 2%) nfiixed at one end to the journal 6, and extending through a collar 31 aflixed to the inner end of the journal and into a bushing 32 within the ram 18. This pilot is of sufficient rigidity and length to insure perfect axial alignment of the two plates at all times.

I shall now describe the means for feeding the balls to the grooves in the plates, eireulating them from groove to groove, and removing them therefrom. The non-rotatable plate 2, as shown most clearly in Figure 5, is provided at one side with a cutaway section 33 into which is inserted a guide block 34. The operative face of this guide block 34 is provided with a series of obliquely eut passageways cut on such an angle as to direct the balls from an inner groove to the next adjacent outer groove. The upper and inner ortion of this block provided with a trans er plate 36 having a series of rounded extenloo Ill!

plate is also provided with a series of pass11 greways 38, one for each extensionil'l, which lead to and are in alignment with the passageways 35 in the block The completed passa pieua 35od., as sh 0 W11 most clearl y in Figure 6, are curved in vertical section in order that the halls may pass without hinderance from one groove to the next. As thernachinin of such grooved passageways in a solid block would be an extremely diflicult matter, l prefer to mill the passageways 35 as open cuts and close them by means of a curved cover plate 39. The block is also provided with a downwardly extending passage ay l-l which leads to the innermost: groove, and a horizontal passageway 42 leading from the. outer groove and through the transfer plate and the block.

The halls are fedthrough block 34 and to the grooves from a hopper 43 supported on brackets from the frame of the machine, as shown most. clearly in F igures 2, 3 and a. The balls leave this hopper through a dis charge orifice et l located in its bottom, and proceed thence through a flexible feed conduit 4-5 to the passageway 41 in the block 42. The hopper 43 is inclined away fromthe machine at a slight angle, as shown in Figures 3 and 4E, and the discharge orifice l l ispositioned at the highest point in the hopper bottom, for a reason which will be explained in a moment. The halls are returned from the grooves through passageway 42 in the guide block through a flexible return conduit 4C6 which enters the hopper l3 through its side. These conduits a. and 16 are made flexible in order to permit movement of theplate 2 while the hopper 4-3 remains stationary. They are made of coil springs of the proper size. In order to insure a continuous flow of balls into the discharge orifice 44 I have provided within the hopper a constantly rotating agitator at. This agitator comprises a. circular disc 4-8 having a of u pstandinn' pins 419 situated around its periphery, each pin carrying an outwardly and downwardly extending; arm 51. hese arms 51 push the halls ahead of them around the annular track between the wall oi the hopper and the periphery of the disc l8, and into the discharge orifice 14:. They are made of flexible spring material so that if the halls become jammed the arms may yield. and thus prevent any forcing or crowding of the halls into the orifice 4A. The reason for inclining the hopper will now be apparent. The balls are moved up tothe orifice aid in a single line and are not inter fered with by the other halls in the hopper. The agitator is constantly rotated through spindle secured to the plate 4;, friction disc 53, friction pulley 54*, shaft 55, sheave56,

plate.

belt 57, pulley 58, hovel pinion 59 and hevel pinion til mountedon shaft 14;.

After the rollin operation is complete, the balls are discharged from the grooves through a tunnel (l2 and into a receptacle 63 slidably mounted upon he base of the machine.

The machine operates as follows The plate 2 is first moved by rotation of the hand-wheel 26 into a position closely adjacent plate 1, and the hollow inetalhalls to be rolled, closed and sized placed within the hopper 43. These halls have been previously shaped in stationary forming dies, and although approximately spherical are relatively unfinished, are oversize and have an opening); or openings in them, (depending upon whether they have been made from flat or tubular blanks.) The operator then shifts the clutch lever 17, ap- 'ilying the power to rotate the plate 1 and the agitator within the hopper. The halls are thus fed 'lhrorugh the conduit l5 and pas sageway ell. in the guide block to the inner pair of cooperating grooves. Here they are subjected to a gyratingr and spinning action and rapidly carried around the circuit of the innor groove. Arriving at the end of this groove the halls encounter the first linger 37 and are thus forced to leave the groove and pass through passagmvays into the second groove. Here the rolling and spinhing actionis repeated, and the balls, after making the circuit of this second groove, are

transferred to the next outer groove, and so on. l l hen a complete circuit of all four grooves has been made, the last finger 37 diroots the halls through passageway 4-2 into conduit 46 and back into the hopper. The flexible arms 51 of the agitator then direct the hall to the orifice 4411, and it again passes through the cycle just described. I

It will he observed that as the peripheral speed of any groove is greater than that of a groove of lesser diai'neter, the halls are moving at increasing s ieeds they pass from the innermost to the outernmst groove. This results in a slight separation of the balls as they proceed through "the grooves and elfeclively prevents any crowding and interference within the grooves.

its the rolling; and closing; operation proceeds and the halls are reduced in size, the operator slowly turns the hand-wheel 26 to move ram 18 and th e plate 2 toward the rotary This action is continued until the balls, as they are dischargijed into the hopper from the conduit 4:6. are con'u iletely closed and properly sized. This condition will also be roughly indicated by the scale 20 and pointer ll hen this point is reached the machine is stopped, the plate 2 withdrawn and the halls allowed to fall by gravity through the funnel (l2 and into the receptacle 63. The operation can, of course, he made wholly continuous by diverting the closed and sized balls from the hopper and refilling the hopper when empty with a new batch of rough termittent type of machine. ,efliciency results because of the continuous shells.

Balls of practically all malleable metals pi'ocurable in strip or tube form can be closed and sized in this machine. I have had satisfactoryresults with copper, Monel metal,

aluminum, steel and stainless steel.

' One of the. chief advantages derived from the use of a machine such as the one just described 18 the considerable increase 111 output per unit time with a given power consumption over the output possible in the wholly in- This increased nature of the operation, because the balls can be examined without interfering with the operation of the machine, because'they can vre-position themselves without a release of the pressure between the plates, and because,

for the smallersizes,.a plurality of grooves ill I are employed.

I claim: I r

1. Apparatus for rolling and sizing hollow inetalballs comprising the combination of metal ballscomprising the combination of two relatively rotatable plates having a plurality of I concentric cooperating ball-receiving grooves, and means for passing the balls from the inner to the outer grooves successively and back again to the inner during the relative rotation of the plates.

3. Apparatus for rolling and sizing hollow metal balls comprising the combination of two relatively rotatable plates having a plu- 1 rality of concentric cooperating .ball-receiv- Ling grooves, means for passing the balls from the inner to the outer grooves successively during the relative rotation of the plates, a hopper, means for feeding the balls from the hopper to the inner grooves and means for returning the balls from the outer grooves V to the hopper.

4. Apparatus for rolling and sizing hollow metal balls comprising the combination of two relatively rotatable plates having cooperating ball-receiving grooves, means for feeding balls to and discharging them from the grooves during the relative rotation of the plates, a hopper from which the balls are fed to the grooves and to which they are returned,

a feed conduit leading from the hopper to the grooves, a return conduit leading from the grooves to the hopper and means within the hopper for moving the balls to the feed conduit.

5. Apparatus for rolling and sizing hollow metal balls comprising the combination of two relatively rotatable plates having cooperating ball-receiving grooves, means for feeding balls to and discharging them from the grooves during the relative rotation of the plates, a hopper from which the balls are fed to the grooves and to which they are returned, a feed conduit leading from the hopper to the grooves, a return conduit leading from the grooves to the ho mm and constantly rotating means within the hopper for moving the balls to the feed conduit.

6. In a machine for rolling and sizing hollow metal balls, the combination of a rotatable, axially fixed plate having an annular groove in its face, a non-rotatable axially movable plate having an annular groove in its face cooperating with the groove in the rotatable plate, a passageway in the non-rotatable plate through which balls are fed to the grooves, a second passageway in the mom rotatable plate through which balls are ejected from the grooves, a feed hopper for the balls and conduits connecting the passageways in the plate with the hopper.

7. In a machine for rolling and sizing hollow metal balls, the combination of a rotat able, axially-fixed plate having an annular groove in its face, a non-rotatable axially movable plate having an annular groove in its face cooperating with the groove in the rotatable plate, a passageway in the non-rotatable plate through which balls are fed to the grooves, a second passagewa in the non-rotatable plate through which balls are ejected from the grooves, a fixed feed hopper for the balls and flexible conduits connecting the passageways in the plate with the hopper.

8. In a machine for rolling and sizing hollow metal balls, the combination of two plates having a plurality of concentric cooperating ball-receiving grooves, one of said plates being rotatable and the other non-rotatable, and aguide block inserted within the non-rotatable plate having passageways for leading balls from one groove to the one next adjacent.

9. In a machine for rolling and sizing hollow metal balls, the combination of two plates having a purality of concentric cooperating ball-receiving grooves, one of said plates be ing rotatable and the other non-rotatable, aguide block inserted within the non-rotatable plate having passageways for leading balls from one groove to the one next adjacent, and extensions projecting into the grooves in the rotatable plate to direct the balls into the passageways in the block.

10. In a machine for rolling and sizing hollow metal balls, the combination of two plates having a plurality of concentric cooperating ball-receiving grooves, one of said p ates beill) Ill)

ing rotatable and the other non-rotatable, a guide block inserted within the non-rotatable plate having passageways for leading the balls from one cooperating pairof grooves to the next adjacent outer pair, a feed passageway for leading the balls to the inner pair of grooves and a discharge passageway for leading the balls frpm the outer pair.

11. in a machine for rolling and sizing hollow metal balls, the combination of two plates having a plurality of concentric cooperating lnzllaeceiving grooves, one of said plates being rotatable and the other non-rotatable, a guide block inserted. within the non-rotatable plate having passageways for leading the balls from one cooperating pair of grooves to the next adjacent outer pair, afeed passageway for leading the balls to the inner pair of grooves, and a discharge passageway for leading the balls from the outer pair, and a comnion feed hopper with which both the feed and discharge passageways are connected.-

12. in a machine for rolling and sizing hollow metal balls, the combination of two plates having a plurality of concen ric cooywrating ball-receiving grooves, one of said plates being rotatable and the other non-rotatable, a guide block in the non-rotatable plate having a series of oblique passageways each connecting adjacent grooves, and a transfer plate on said block having extensions projecting into the grooves in the rotatable plate to guide the balls through one pair of grooves to an adjacent pair through the passageways in the block. j

13. In a machine for rolling and sizing hollow metal balls, the combination of two plates each having a plurality of concentric ball-receivinggrooves designed to cooperate with similar gin-coves in the other plate, one of said ulster-i hing rotatablo and the other non-rotatable, a guide block in the non-rotatable plate having a series of oblique open passageways each connecting adjacent grooves, a transfer plate on said block having extensions priiijccting into the grooves in the rotatable plate to guide the balls from one pair of grooves to an adjacent pair through the passsageways in the block, and a plate closing the outer and open side of the passageways.

14. In a machine for rolling and sizing hollow metal balls, the combination of rotatable and non-rotatable plates having cooperating ball-receiving grooves, a feed hopper for the balls, a feed conduit extending from the hopper to the grooves, a return conduit extending from the grooves to the hopper, and flexible arms within the hopper for directing the balls into the feed conduit.

15. In a machine for rolling and sizing hollow metal balls, the combination of rotatable and non-rotatable plates having cooperating ball-receiving grooves, a feed hopper for the balls, a feed conduit extending from the hopper to the grooves, a return conduit extending from the grooves to the hopper, a rotatable within the hopper for directing the balls into the discharge orifice.

17. Apparatus for rolling and sizing hollow metal balls con'iprising the combination of a plate having in its face a plurality of concentric circular grooves having outwardly diverging side walls designed to make a twopoint contact with the balls below the mouth of the groove, means cooperating with said plate to roll the balls within the grooves undcr pressure, and means for passing the balls from groove to groove during the rolling and sizing operation.

18. Apparatus for rolling and sizing hollow metal balls, comprising the combination of two plates, one rotatable and the other non-rotatable, provided in their faces with cooperating ball-receiving circular grooves having outwardly diverging side walls, each groove designed to make a two-point contact with the ball below the mouth of the groove, means for rotating the rotatable plate, means for exerting pressure between said plates to compress the balls, and means for continuously feeding the balls through the non-rotatable plate to the grooves and discharging them therefrom during the rolling and sizing operation. f

19. Apparatus for rolling andsizing hollow metal balls comprising the combination of two plates, one rotatable and one non-r0- tatable, provided in their faces with a plurality of concentric cooperating ball-receiving grooves having outwardly diverging side walls, each. groove designed to make a twopoint contact with the ball below the mouth of the-groove, means for rotating the rotatable plate, means for exerting pressure between said plates to compress the balls, means for feeding balls to the innermost groove, means for passing the balls from the innermost groove to the outermostgroove successively, and means for discharging them from the outermost groove, all during the rolling an d sizing operation.

20. A machine for closing apertures in hollow balls consisting of two symmetrically disposed parallel plates facing each other, designed to hold between them the hollow balls, each of the plates being provided with a series of concentric .circular grooves, these 6 I V r 1,112,446:

tom ofwhichiso'f a radius less than the rad variable relative rotary motion to the plates iusof the balllat the beginning of the operwith a view of giving the balls 11 combined ation', means for feedingfiischarging and cir rolling, spinning and gyrating movement to l c llating the balls from one groove to the force successively all points of the ball surother, means for exerting a variable pressure face into contact with the grooves.

on theba'llsby drawing the two plates toa In testimony whereof I aflix my signature. gether, means'-for imparting a constant or ALBERT M. RUTlER. 

